Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a control method therefor, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in a wireless local area network (LAN), there has been proposed a technique of recognizing a nearby wireless LAN device or a technique (Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)) of recognizing a network formed by a nearby wireless LAN device or a service provided in the network. Such network and wireless LAN device are respectively called a neighbor awareness network (NAN) and a NAN device.
For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2014/0302787, 2014/0321317, and 2015/0036540 propose techniques in which LAN devices transmit beacons to be synchronized with each other, and set a cyclic search period called a discovery window (to be referred to as a DW hereinafter), thereby recognizing each other during the period. In Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN), there is also proposed a technique of establishing a data link, as needed, during an additional period other than the DW based on recognition during the DW, and performing data communication, which is called a NAN data link. In these techniques, a plurality of NAN devices form NAN called a “cluster” in which DW synchronization is established, and recognize each other on a cluster basis to perform data communication. If many clusters are formed, DWs are provided for each cluster, and the efficiency may deteriorate in terms of power consumption, the processing load of a search, effective use of a band, and the like. In consideration of this case, there is also proposed a technique of integrating (merging) clusters.
In the above conventional techniques, a data link (NAN data link) is established for each cluster, and a case in which the clusters are merged is not sufficiently considered. If cluster A is merged into cluster B, it may not be possible for a data link established in cluster A to be established in cluster B, or this may be inefficient. For example, if the period of the data link established in cluster A overlaps the DW of cluster B, and cluster A is merged into cluster B, data communication in cluster A cannot be continued in cluster B or influences the DW of cluster B.